A teacher of gifted fifth and sixth grade students describes a unit on research ability in which students engage in a library scavenger hunt. (CL)

Recommends a series of six exercises designed to help students become familiar with a number of different resources in a school library. (TJ)

Presents a hypothetical article intended to help library school students learn the skills necessary in evaluating the research they read in the professional literature. It contains a variety of commonly committed blunders which students should recognize. (FM)

Suggests a short library assignment researching journal articles pertaining to a student's major or vocational interest as a way to encourage exploration of the library, prepare students for writing more lengthy papers, and introduce students to a variety of material related to specific subjects. (TJ)

Examination of appropriateness of productivity measurements to assess performance of special libraries defines the concept, discusses problems in their use, and gives guidelines for implementation. Results of use of productivity measurements in Library of Congress and State Department library are reported, and productivity measurements are…

A quantitative and qualitative study of an innovating academic library examined individual, departmental, and organizational activity and considered three aspects of a learning organization model: continuous learning, team learning, and shared vision. Internet use was the innovation investigated. Concludes that learning and innovation in an…

Discusses two articles addressing the problem of how to read and evaluate library research in a critical, consumer-oriented manner: Margaret Hayes Grazier's "Critically Reading and Applying Research in School Library Media Centers" (1982) and M. Carl Drott's "How to Read Research: An Approach to the Literature for Practitioners" (1984). (EJS)

The literature of bibliometrics suggests that the results of bibliometric studies can be of practical use in libraries by providing a scientific basis for collection management decisions. Reports on the application of these studies are virtually nonexistent and a number of reasons for this are suggested. (EM)

Discusses the nature of locally based research, demonstrates its relevance to the concerns of school library media specialists, and outlines the phases and steps involved in conducting locally based research. Resources for, and benefits of, locally based research are also discussed. A 15-item reference list is included. (JL)

Reports the design, methodology, and results of a research project which examined the effectiveness of bibliographic displays produced by online catalogs. A means of testing displays against several hundred thousand records at a reasonable cost and using that to test several display possibilities is described. (CLB)

Describes the background, goals, methods, and results of a needs assessment study at the New York Public Library. This structured, phased self-examination was designed to form a consensus about the institution's long term needs and priorities. (CLB)

Describes the elements required for a well-designed questionnaire, including appearance, question writing, organization, and cover letter. A checklist for effective questionnaire design is provided, as well as seven references. (BK)

Suggestions are listed for using similes as bases for learning activities in science. Adages such as "as wise as an owl,""as busy as a bee," and "as blind as a bat" are discussed as topics for library and reading skills, science, and communicative arts. (CS)

Describes the use of "snapshot inventories" to assess the availability of a library collection by measuring the presence/absence of a representative sample of library materials at a given moment. Explains the methods and results of an inventory conducted at Monterey Peninsula College in California. (DMM)

This study examined the use of advanced search commands and the Journal Name Finder database of DIALOG to simplify collection and processing of posting information for 42 library and information science serials (1966-1996) in six databases. Presents types of deficiencies in journal coverage that may yield incomplete search results and distort…